The Cyrial Bowl

Baking Day

2009-04-15T19:32:00.029-04:00

Ok so I had big plans - but realized that I really needed to do a bit more cleaning and tidying and a little less mess making.
I had planned to make the following:

Diced Italian Chicken (for my salads at lunch)
Baked Oatmeal
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sweet Potato Choc. Chip muffins
Whole Wheat French Bread Rolls
Pizza Dough

I actually got to do the chicken, oatmeal, and cookies. Those were the "important" ones anyway. Hubby doesn't much care for muffins (at least not the healthy ones I make...) and DD doesn't LOVE them so no biggie.... I have no idea whats going on for dinner this week, DH is working some crazy hours and he doesn't even know what they really are yet. He'll be gone next week from Saturday until Friday so no need to cook anything elaborate for this week or next.
So my recipe for baked oatmeal is quite simple:

3 cups old fashioned oats
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce(in place of oil/butter)
2 eggs
1 cup milk

mix all ingredients in a small bowl
pour into grease pan (I use a 9x9 square)
bake at 375 for 30 minutes
until lightly browned on top and sides

makes about 4 servings

I usually cut it into squares serve in a shallow bowl and pour a little milk over. Mine gets strawberries and brown sugar and Kaleigh's gets what she chooses...usually raisins or chopped almonds, sometimes nothing. Her i mash a lot more Mine I leave a bit more "chunky" - I wish I had a picture but I was far too hungry for that this morning.....LOL

Here's my chicken (well 1/2 of it - I had already eaten the other half in my salad for lunch.....is there a trend here?)

I just diced up some white meat pieces from a rotisserie chicken I had gotten on markdown at Kroger and sauteed it in a little (free) Kraft light italian salad dressing. Yum!

My chocolate chip cookies were a new recipe I used from the bag of Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix. I use this for pancakes all the time, but I figured I'd use up some extra chips I had in the pantry (the were the swirled ones) and try the cookie recipe.
One of the best Chocolate Chip cookies I've ever made....it was well worth it!!!

Again recipe made about 2 dozen....obviously they are not all here - lol.

So that was my exciting day of baking - I'd take a picture of the rest of my day but you don't want to see piles of dirty socks and underwear do you?

Stay tuned for a pregnancy update later this week - and hopefully some ultrasound photos!

I'm baaaack

2009-04-15T16:55:00.003-04:00

Ok so a tidbit of news.....I'm 23 weeks pregnant (today actually). I fell off the face of the earth as soon as I found out I was expecting because I was barely able to take care of myself and my daughter most days. I lived on the couch and the bed as much as one can with a two year old.

But I'm commited to giving this a go once again.

I'll start off slow and see what works and what doesn't as the weeks go by...I just hope everyone is inspired to stay with me and provide feedback via comments and e-mails!!

Coming up later today...results of my meager baking day.

Works For Me Wednesday

2008-11-26T13:27:00.003-05:00

It's Works-For-Me-Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer - check it out!

Playskool's Busy Ball Popper has got to be one of our MOST favorite toys! I say "our" because no other toy pleases Kaleigh and I on almost all levels! It's fun, got great music, not too loud, but not so quiet that it's boring for her... and it keeps he busy for quite some time. Which is amazing because usually the only thing keeping her busy is ME (or the dog for a minute).

I fist saw this thing at a playdate when Kaleigh was 9 months old. The kids all loved it so much they were literally fighting over it. We made a rule from then out if the playdate was at your house and you had a ball popper - it had to go away in the closet for the morning/afternoon! NO JOKE!

I bought it for her soon after that - and it has been out ever since. We frequently rotate her toys and put some away in the closet for a few months so she doesn't get bored - but this one has NEVER gone away.

Kaleigh is two now!

This definitely works for me!

CVS Deals - Thurs, Fri & Sat ONLY!!

2008-11-25T22:13:00.008-05:00

This is CVS's version of black Friday...the great part is it starts Thursday. So you bet as soon as I have gotten up and dressed - I'm sneaking off to CVS! Forget showering - I'll probably be back before either of my other family members wake up!!

If you are new to the CVS game - please see here for a complete tutorial. Better than I could do considering I've only been at this less than a year!

These are the best deals I see.

Colgate Total Toothpaste $2.99 - $2.99 ECBs (Limit 2)

Use $1.50/1 printable here or $1/1 from the 11/02 SS

=$1.00-$1.50 OVERAGE!

Aussie Hair Care$2.99-$2.99 ECBs (Limit 2)

Use $1/1 from the 10/12 P&G

=$1 OVERAGE

CoverGirl Smoothers pressed powder $5.99-$5.99 ECBs (Limit 1)

Use $1/1 from the 10/12 or 11/2 P&G

=$1 OVERAGE

CoverGirl Smoothers liquid foundation $7.99-$7.99 ECBs (Limit 1)

Use $1/1 from the 10/12 or 11/2 P&G

=$1 OVERAGE

L’Oreal Colour Juice sheer lipgloss $6.99 - $6.99 ECBs (Limit 2)

Use $1/1 printable here

=$1 OVERAGE

Sally Hansen maximum growth nourishing nail color $3.79 -$3.79 ECBs (Limit 1)

=FREE

Johnson's Soft Lotion $5.69-$5.96 ECBs (Limit 1)

Use $1/1 printable here or $1/1 from the 11/2 RP

=$1 OVERAGE

Bic Soleil Single Razor $5.99-$5.99 ECBs (Limit 2)

Use $3/1 from the 11/2 SS

=$3 OVERAGE

Garnier Nutrisse Cleansing Towelettes $5.99-$5.99 ECBs (Limit 1)

Use $1/1 from the 11/9 RP

= $1 OVERAGE

Maybelline Mineral Powder Liquid Foundation $8.99-8.99 ECBs (Limit 1)

Use $3/1 from the 10/26 RP or $2/1 from the 09/21 RP

= $2-$3 OVERAGE

Magnavox Universal Remote or Philips Headphones $6.99-$6.99 ECBs (Limit 2)

=FREE (GREAT STOCKING STUFFERS!!!!)

Gatorade G2 $1.49 -$1.49 ECBs (Limit 3)

=FREE (anyone know if these are any good - I got some free powerade zero not too long ago and it was terrible! Are these comparable?)

Hershey's King Size Milk Chocolate Bar $1 -$1 ECBs (Limit 1)

There's a B1G1 coupon out somewhere I think!

= FREE

Schick Quattro Razor or Trimmer $7.99 -$6 ECBs (Limit 1)

Use $2/1 printable here or $4/1 in the December All You magazine

= FREE (or possible overage)

Playtex Gentle Glide Tampons $3.99 -$3 ECBs (Limit 1)

Use $1/1 from the 10/5 SS

=FREE

(TMI But if I'm not pregnant soon I really needed these!)

Choose one of the following:

- Rival Crock pot 5 qt

- Black & Decker 12 cup Digital Coffee Maker

- 3-in-1 Grill- Electric Griddle

- Oster 10 cup rice Cooker

- Retro Style Hot Air Popcorn Maker

- Home Exclusives Rotary Waffle Maker

$19.99 -$10 ECBs= $9.99 (limit 1)

FREE Dr. Pepper

2008-11-24T12:08:00.004-05:00

Go here to request your coupon for a free 20 oz. Dr. Pepper, good through 6pm EST time today You can request up to one coupon per person in your household.

The site is running pretty slow so if you have trouble call 1-800-696-5891 and make your request by phone.

Remember it is one per person in your household - so technically I could get 3. Me, Matt and Kaleigh.

My Thanksgiving Recipes

2008-11-24T08:12:00.012-05:00

You can view my full menu here - it does have some links to recipes I'm "borrowing" for Thursday. But these are all of the menu items I will be making from scratch(or close to it) based off of a family recipe, or one of my own creation!

Pumpernickel Bread Bowl

1 loaf pumpernickel bread, round or oblong
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 16oz container sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pkg Knorr Vegetable Recipe mix
3 green onions, chopped

Combine all ingredients (except for bread), chill for a few hours for best taste.

Carefully cut out a hole in the middle of the bread to make a hollow inside for the dip. Cut the "insides" into bite sized pieces. arrange these on a platter around the outside of the hollowed out bread.

Spoon the dip into the bowl and serve!

My husband HATES spinach - but will still devour this dip!
I am making this dip on Wednesday night and I will cut the bowl and fill on Thursday afternoon.

Sweet Potato Casserole
4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:
1 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
½ - 1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Mix sweet potato, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, and butter together and spread in a 9x13-inch dish. Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle over top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

I am making this Wednesday too - assemble, cover and refrigerate - bake on Thursday morning/afternoon.

Apple pie

1 pie crust (confession - I usually buy the Pillsbury ones - cheap (with seasonal sale and coupons) and easy. I have enough cooking to do as it is.)
6-8 green apples (use 8 eat the leftovers - better safe than sorry)
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter/margarine

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup softened butter/margarine
1/4 cup walnuts (use "pieces and halves" BUT pick out and make smaller the really BIG halves)

Core and peel apples, then slice
Unroll crust an place in pie plate
mix sliced apples in a large bowl with the lemon juice, sugar, flour, and cinnamon
transfer mixture into pie crust
dot apples with butter

In a food processor or in a bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the flour and walnuts and process or stir until the mixture forms medium-size crumbs. Evenly sprinkle the top of the pie with the crumbs and place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the crumbs are lightly browned.

I'm actually making two apple pies, today, and freezing them. I will bake one on Thursday - the other in a few weeks or so.

Pumpkin Pie

This is kind of a cop out recipe... (and I have no picture)
I make the recipe on the back of the can of Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix and put it in a graham cracker crust! YUMMY! One year I will make it from pure pumpkin and real ingredients....I swear.
I was however thinking of making this sometime - just not on Thursday. Easy Pumpkin Cream Pie.
I'm in love with all things pumpkin so we may do this one in a few weeks.

I will make this Wednesday too!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-11-23T21:05:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday over at "I'm an Organizing Junkie"

Here's what we're eating this week...

I have no idea how much I will have leftover from Thanksgiving dinner - so we'll have to see how far the leftovers go and how sick we are of them!!!

The new "First Dog"

2008-11-23T09:19:00.007-05:00

For the record this is what I think the Obama family should get as their new dog.

He's not mine - but my spoiled rotten dog is of the same breed - different color.

He's a Chinese Crested Powderpuff. Now, when you go to google him -this powderpuff word is an important one, and also what is most fascinating about this breed.

There are two "varieties" of this breed - the hairless and the powderpuff. Both varieties are born in the same litters, though the powderpuff is genetically recessive it suffers less genetic problems in life than the hairless variety. (i.e. teeth problems, hip problems etc.)

More importantly for our president-elect it makes the short list of dogs that are possibly hypoallergenic. I say possibly because there really is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog - just one that doesn't bother a sensitive person. Like my husband for example - he is VERY allergic to cats and we recently discovered the short-haired dogs - hypothesized from trial and error around our friends Basset Hound.

Another plus? NO SHEDDING!!! The only time I find dog hair around my house is when we are trying to put off paying $50-$60 for grooming and letting our pup's hair grow far too long and out of control. It also starts to get matted at that point....and then we give in and cough up the coin!

I am a total neat/clean freak and CANNOT EVER, EVER have a dog that sheds. I would die! (And so might my husband....medically speaking)

Chinese Crested's are also GREAT apartment dogs - they do not require a lot of exercise at all, are small in size 10-13 lbs is average I think, and are great with kids and people!!

Without further ado - I introduce to you our lovable, huggable and oh so quirky pup - Armani! (this was 3 1/2 years ago!)

I think this would make a great dog for the Obama family don't you? Now - how the heck do I get them to read my blog?

Shortcuts, Cellfire and E-Saver - OH MY!

2008-11-23T09:04:00.006-05:00

A reader - BREE asked what SCUTS meant in my post yesterday - NOT a silly question at all. I need to make a post with all of the acronyms and such - it's in the works, just not ready to be published JUST yet.

SCuts is my shortened version of "Shortcuts" a website where you can load grocery coupons onto your Kroger card - I think there may be other participating stores now....check it out over here.

The beauty of it all is you can use these electronic coupons together with paper coupons - it's like legal "stacking" - using two coupons on one item. Awesome huh?

There are also other sites with different coupons. Cellfire requires a text message or two to get it set up but it's TOTALLY worth it, they have really great coupons from time to time.

And the other is the P&G E-saver site. P&G usually has some pretty good coupons in the Sunday inserts and so stack it with these and you get lots of free or cheap stuff.

Off the top of my head I've gotten 2 Free Herbal Essences, 2 Free Olay body washes, 1 free+ major overage Febreeze Noticeables, 2 Free bundles or bar soap (I can't remember what kind.....it was back in August I think......)

These are definitely worth checking out!

Super Savings Saturday - A Few Thanksgiving Essentials

2008-11-22T11:49:00.012-05:00

I just simply COULD NOT take a pic of my huge haul from Publix - it was all melting and getting warm, and I had to spend a few moments with K before whipping something up for dinner.

I re-created my Kroger trip however. Read highlights form both trips here.

Kroger brand spiral ham $1.99/lb = $19.16

2 boxes Pillsbury pie crusts @2/$5.00 = 5.00- .50/2 (doubled to $1 + .50 scuts = 2/3.50 (not great but I NEEDED these)

Pillsbury Crescents 3/$5 = 1.67 - .35 + .50 scuts = .47

Kroger Bar or shredded cheese 3/$5 - got 6 of the 2% Cheddar, will shred it myself in the food processor

4 bags Cascadian farms organic edamame @2/$5 = $10 - $4 (4 $1.00 q)= $6.00 PLUS I got back TWO $2.00 OYNO catalinas - making the bags .50 ea. (I'm going back for more of this deal.......K LOVES edamame!)

2 cans Reddi Whip @2.00 ea = 4.00 - (2) .50 (doubled to 1.00) + (2) 1.00 scuts= FREE

1 Herbal Essences Shampoo and 1 Herbal Essences Conditioner @ 2.49 ea = 4.98 - $3/2 + $2/2 esaver = .02 OVERAGE!

6 Johnson's Buddies @1.09 ea= 6.64 -6.00 (2 - 3.00 catalina coupons) = .09 ea!

2 boxes Chex Cereal @2/5 - $1/2 + $1/2 scuts = 1.50ea (again not the greatest but I needed these for Muddy Buddies)

I also got some marked down bananas earlier in the week. I sliced and froze them for baking or for Banana Peanut Butter smoothies (YUMMY!)
Recipe found over at Money Saving Mom
3/4 to 1 cup sliced frozen bananas
1 cup milk
1-2 Tbsp natural peanut butter

The Mother Letter Project

2008-11-21T08:26:00.000-05:00

Let's pay it forward today....

Read the original post over at Rocks in My Dryer.

Instead of gifts this Christmas this couple decided to exchange handmade, heartfelt gifts for each other and sending as much as they could to the humanitarian effort in a village in Africa where"Danny" had visited.

And so began The Mother Letter Project.

"Danny" has decided to get together a collection of letters, from mothers to mothers to encourage his wife on the journey of motherhood. Share your concerns, wisdom, insights - share your mother story.

If you send a "Dear Mother" letter by Christmas, you will recieve a copy of Mother Letters after it has been compiled.
Please let's all help encourage each other during a time which is not always so easy!
And then we need to get some sort of award together for Sweetest Husband of the Year!!!

Thanksgiving Menu

2008-11-20T21:33:00.002-05:00

We're not having that many people over for Thanksgiving Day, but my Brother-in-Law will be here and a few friends so we're doing a pretty traditional full spread. Here's what we're having - recipes and pictures to follow.

Appertizers

Pumpernickel Bread Bowl with Vegetable Dip*

Cheese/Crackers/Pepperoni Tray

Pillsbury Savorings (Buffalo Chicken and Pepperoni & Mozzarella) - got these for $1/box @Publix a few weeks ago.

Dinner
Spiral Sliced Ham

Deep Fried Turkey

Cornbread Stuffing (from a bag)

Cranberry Sauce (I will try this recipe - but I did buy a can of the icky gross wobbly jelly kind in case anyone really wants it. Even though he won't be here my Step-Dad wouldn't be happy without it!)

Gravy (from a jar cause we're deep frying...)

Pumpkin Rolls

Green Vegetable - TBD (to be determined - I'm thinking Green Beans - K loves them)

Sweet Potato Casserole*

Mashed Potatoes (I got 4 boxes of the Idahoan ones for free - so that's what we're serving - I personally hate mashed white potatoes)

Dessert
Apple Pie (w/vanilla ice cream)*

Pumpkin Pie (w/ whipped cream)*

Turkey Cookies - K and I are going to have SO much fun making these - she loves candy corn!

*Recipes to follow in another post. I can't link to them beacause they are MY recipes. Well, sort of, I'm sure somewhere along the way I used someone's recipe to start with and then tweaked and tweaked unti lit came out just right.....but they're mine now!

My (non-baking) shopping day

2008-11-20T20:39:00.003-05:00

Well I didn't get any baking done today at all. But my husband volunteered to watch K this afternoon so I could hit Kroger and Publix to score some deals for Turkey day.... and some chex mix for my addiction.....

My trips were not within my normal grocery budget - it was seperate money we decided to spend on special Thanksgiving preparations. So my total purchase amount was a bit high relative to the amount of stuff I got - but I was throughly pleased after leaving Publix. I spent around $90 but my total savings at Publix ...... $189.54! Whoo Hoo! I wish I had taken a picture but it definately would have taken too long.... I got home at 5:00 and had to spend a few mintues with K before cooking something for us to eat for dinner. Even if it was only a Bird's Eye Voila meal!

Highlights of my two trips were:

Kroger brand spiral ham $1.99/lb = $19.16
2 boxes Pillsbury pie crusts @2/$5.00 = 5.00- .50/2 (doubled to $1 + .50 scuts = 2/3.50 (not great but I NEEDED these)
Pillsbury Crescents 3/$5 = 1.67 - .35 + .50 scuts = .47
Kroger Bar or shredded cheese 3/$5 - got 6 of the 2% Cheddar, will shred it myself in the food processor
4 bags Cascadian farms organic edamame @2/$5 = $10 - $4 (4 $1.00 q)= $6.00 PLUS I got back TWO $2.00 OYNO catalinas - making the bags .50 ea. (I'm going back for more of this deal.......K LOVES edamame!)
2 cans Reddi Whip @2.00 ea = 4.00 - (2) .50 (doubled to 1.00) + (2) 1.00 scuts= FREE
1 Herbal Essences Shampoo and 1 Herbal Essences Conditioner @ 2.49 ea = 4.98 - $3/2 + $2/2 esaver = .02 OVERAGE!

I Can't Believe Its Not Butter! BOGO (save up to $2.49) = 1.20 - $1 IP= .20!!
$1/1 printable atCoupons
$.50/1 printable at Print Your Coupon
Cranberries or Florida Navel Oranges 4-lb bag BOGO (save up to $2.99) =$1.50
Sun-Maid Raisins BOGO (save up to $3.69) = 3.49/2- 1/2 = 2.49/2 or 1.25 ea.
Triscuits BOGO = 2.75/2 - $1/2 IP = 1.75/2 or .88 ea.
$1/2 printable Kraft - The Tale of the Magical Crackers
Chex Mix BOGO (save up to $2.55) = 1.27 -.50(doubled to $1) = .27
Betty Crocker Potatoes BOGO (save up to $1.59) =.80- .35 (doubled to .70) = .10
or .80 -.40 printable Coupons = FREE
Uncle Ben's Rice BOGO (save up to $1.99) = 1.99/2 - .72/2 = 1.24/2 or .62 ea.
Sweet Potatoes = .43/lb
Butterball Frozen Turkey .99/lb - I got a bird that was about 11.7 or so lbs. It was about $11.60. BUT I had a coupon Butterball sent me (for a complaint about some ground turkey) for $10 off and 1 Butterball item. So turkey this year cost me about $1.60! That's what I'm talking about!!

A quick note - it seems my prices in-store are a bit lower than the "save up to " prices. May be different in your area!

Works for me Wednesday

2008-11-19T21:59:00.000-05:00

Works for meWednesday is a "blog carnival" (explained here)
Mine is a little late today but what work for me right now is.....
Tofu! (nope, not a joke!)
It has to be the one thing my picky two year old will eat almost every single time I put it in front of her.....
I buy the packages of extra firm tofu, open, drain and store in water in tupperware for up to 10 days!
Every other day or so I cut off about 1/5 of the "block" make nice little postage stamp sized bites out of it and she gobbles it up. It is also really easy to pack it and take it with me if we are going to be away from home at lunch time and I don't want to buy fast food and/or feed my baby junk.

I've also made tofu nuggets - which I actually rather enjoy!

1 block firm or extra firm tofu
2 eggs (or whites)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup wheat germ
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

mix wheat germ and parmesan cheese to make the "breading"
cut tofu into strips or desired size/shape
dip in beaten egg
roll in "breading"
light fry in frying pan with a little EVOO
serve warm

I use this "breading" on fish too - tilapia mostly! YUM YUM

End of Day 1

2008-11-19T21:13:00.001-05:00

We're at the end of Baking Day #1....
All I can say is at least I got two things done - the chicken is cooked, cleaned, shreded, and questionable pieces fed to the dog (spoiled rotten he is!)

I also made the chickpea rattlers - but they didn't come out as good as last time. I made them from memory this time, so maybe I forgot something...who knows?

Baking Day(s)

2008-11-19T16:02:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Money Saving Mom; we're having a baking day....well a few days of baking I should say. Kaleigh only has a limited attention span - and kitchen skills. She just turned 2 so, mixing is about it, pouring from a measuring cup into the mixing bowl is ok if I don't mind about half of it ending up on the floor!

Here's what we hope to accomplish....

Rotisserie Chicken (I'm actually just boiling it)
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Strawberry Sour Cream Bread
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Sweet Potatoes - cook, mash, freeze....? (I'm getting these for .43cents/lb tomorrow at Publix!!)
Muddy Buddies (with Chex cereal)
Cinnamon/Sugar Chickpea Rattlers

I also have to go to Publix and Kroger to round up some ingredients for these recipes and Thanksgiving as were hosting this year. So if this all gets done - it will truly be a miracle.

Welcome

2008-11-19T15:13:00.001-05:00

I've been debating starting on this journey for a while now and today I finally decided to go for it; I am going to give blogging a wholehearted attempt and see where it takes me.

My name is Jessica and this is my blog The Cyrial Bowl (pronunced cereal - like Cheerios, or Rice Krispies!) I'm a 26 year old stay at home wife and mother. I am married to a real-life hero who currently serves as a medic on active duty in the U.S. Army, our daughter just turned two. And in case you were wondering....yes we're ready for another! More to come on that....

I want to give you all a peak into our new frugal way of living; sharing my tips for saving money on groceries and household items and my other various forays in frugality. I have also been getting into baking and cooking and freezing - another wonderful way to be frugal.

Join me! I think we're gonna have some fun!